Berlitz Pocket Guide Barcelona (Travel Guide eBook)

By Berlitz

With an iconic style and a bestselling brand, this is the quintessential pocket-sized travel guide to Barcelona - now with a bilingual dictionary

Plan your trip, plan perfect days and discover how to get around - this pocket-sized guide is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering fun and interesting things to do and see in Barcelona, from top tourist attractions like La Rambla, Sagrada Familia, Palau Nacional, Casa Battle and the waterfront, to hidden gems, including Barri Gotic, Monster de Pedralbes and Palau de la Music Catalana. 

- What to see: comprehensive coverage of the  city's attractions, illustrated with striking photography
- What to do: how to make the most of your leisure time, from local entertainment to the best activities and shopping
- History and culture: giving you a deeper understanding of the city's heritage, people and contemporary life
- Practical tips: where to stay, dining out and how to get around: reliable recommendations and expert travel advice
- Dictionary: quick-reference bilingual language guide to help you with vocabulary on the ground
- Covers: La Rambla, Barri Gotic,La Ribera, El Eixample, the waterfront, Montjuic and Tibidabo.

About Berlitz: Berlitz draws on years of travel and language expertise to bring you a wide range of travel and language products, including travel guides, maps, phrase books, language-learning courses, dictionaries and kids' language products.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: Jul 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781785732430

Berlitz

Make the most of your time on Earth with the ultimate travel guides

Book preview

How To Use This E-Book

Getting Around the e-Book

This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Barcelona, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Barcelona, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights in Barcelona are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Barcelona. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

About Berlitz Pocket Guides

The Berlitz story began in 1877 when Maximilian Berlitz devised his revolutionary method of language learning. More than 130 years later, Berlitz is a household name, famed not only for language schools but also as a provider of best-selling language and travel guides.

Our wide-ranging travel products – printed travel guides and phrase books, as well as apps and ebooks – offer all the information you need for a perfect trip, and are regularly updated by our team of expert local authors. Their practical emphasis means they are perfect for use on the ground. Wherever you’re going – whether it’s on a short break, the trip of a lifetime, a cruise or a business trip – we offer the ideal guide for your needs.

Our Berlitz Pocket Guides are the perfect choice if you need reliable, concise information in a handy format. We provide amazing value for money – these guides may be small, but they are packed with information. No wonder they have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.

© 2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Barcelona’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Top Attraction #2

Top Attraction #3

Top Attraction #4

Top Attraction #5

Top Attraction #6

Top Attraction #7

Top Attraction #8

Top Attraction #9

Top Attraction #10

A Perfect Day In Barcelona

Introduction

Catalan Culture

Design and Pragmatism

Catalan Independence

Exploring on Foot

A Brief History

Visigothic Capital

Mercantile Nation

Spain United

War and Resistance

Industrialisation

Civil War

1960 Onwards

Historical Landmarks

Where To Go

La Rambla

Canaletes

Birds and Flowers

La Boqueria

Palau Güell

Plaça Reial

Barri Gòtic

The Catedral

Plaça Sant Jaume

Plaça del Rei

Towards the Museu Frederic Marès

Roman Remains and the Jewish Ghetto

Antique Alley

A Trio of Plazas

Around Plaça Nova

La Ribera

El Born

Carrer Montcada and the Museu Picasso

More Mansions and Museums

Palau de la Música

El Eixample

The Illa de la Discòrdia

Casa Batlló

La Pedrera

Passeig de Gràcia

Around the Avenues

La Sagrada Família

Gràcia and Park Güell

The Waterfront

Maritime Heritage

Port Vell

Barceloneta

Olympic Village and Beyond

Parc de la Ciutadella

El Raval

Urban Regeneration

Montjuïc

Catalan Art Treasures

Museums and Miró

Poble Espanyol

The Diagonal

Pedralbes

Tibidabo

Excursions

Montserrat

Getting There

Sitges

Three Seaside Museums

Sant Sadurní d’Anoia (Penedès)

Vilafranca del Penedès

What To Do

Shopping

Where to Look

Department Stores and Malls

Antiques and Art Galleries

Books

Design

Fashion

Food

Entertainment

Music, Ballet and Theatre

Flamenco and Jazz

Nightlife

Festivals

Sports

Spectator Sports

Participant Sports

Children

Calendar of Events

Eating Out

Meal Times and Menus

Local Specialities

Drinks

Reading the Menu

To Help you Order

Menu Reader

Restaurants

Ciutat Vella (Old Town)

Tapas Bars

Eixample

Waterfront/Port Olímpic

Gràcia and above the Diagonal

A–Z Travel Tips

A

Accommodation (see also the list of Recommended Hotels, click here)

Airports

B

Bicycle Rental

Budgeting for Your Trip

C

Car Hire

Climate

Clothing

Crime and Safety

D

Disabled Travellers

Driving

E

Electricity

Embassies and Consulates

Emergencies (see also Police, and Crime and Safety)

G

Getting There

Guides and Tours

H

Health and Medical Care

L

LGBTQ Travellers

Language

M

Maps

Media

Money

O

Opening Times

P

Police

Post Offices

Public Holidays

T

Telephones

Time Zones

Tipping

Toilets

Tourist Information

Transport

V

Visas and Entry Requirements

W

Websites and Internet Access

Y

Youth Hostels

Recommended Hotels

Ciutat Vella

Eixample

The Waterfront

Diagonal

Dictionary

English–Spanish

Spanish–English

Barcelona’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

La Rambla

A lively and entertaining place by day or night. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #2

iStock

Sagrada Família

Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #3

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Fundació Joan Miró

This museum showcases an exceptional body of the artist’s work. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #4

Getty Images

Monestir de Pedralbes

A peaceful haven. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #5

Ronald Stallard/Museu Picasso

Museu Picasso

The largest collection of the artist’s work outside Paris. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #6

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Casa Batlló

One of the city’s famous modernista buildings. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #7

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Palau Nacional

This monumental building houses 1,000 years of Catalan art. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #8

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Palau de la Música Catalana

Fabulous mosaics, tiles and sculpture. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #9

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Barri Gòtic

The sombre Gothic Cathedral is at the heart of this old quarter. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #10

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

The Waterfront

A raft of sandy beaches makes this a playground for the locals. For more information, click here.

A Perfect Day In Barcelona

9.00am

La Rambla

Get an early start on La Rambla to enjoy it before the crowds arrive. Pick up your newspaper from a newsstand then pop into La Boqueria market – at its most colourful in the morning – for a proper Catalan breakfast like baby squid and poached eggs at El Quim (for more information, click here)

10.30am

Gothic Quarter

Across La Rambla is the Gothic Quarter. Meander through its shady, narrow lanes and palm-filled courtyards. Explore the history of the old town at the City History Museum (MUHBA) or break for coffee in the diminutive Meson del Café on Llibreteria.

12 noon

Santa Maria del Mar church

On the other side of Via Laietana is the El Born district. Glimpse the breathtaking interior of Santa Maria del Mar, or sip una copa de cava on the terrace of La Vinya del Senyor (for more information, click here) and admire the church facade.

1.30pm

Lunch time

Get into the local rhythm and have a menú del dia, three courses at remarkably good prices, in a neighbourhood bar like Rodrigo (for more information, click here) in Argenteria, or around the Passeig del Born. Alternatively walk 10 minutes to Barceloneta, for a paella by the sea at Can Majó (for more information, click here).

3.30pm

Siesta

A gentle stroll along the Passeig Marítim towards the Vila Olímpica, pausing for coffee in one of the waterfront xiringuitos (beach bars), is ideal for working off lunch. Indulge in a taxi back to base for a reviving siesta, essential if you are to keep up the pace until the small hours.

5.30pm

Explore the Eixample

A session of retail therapy in the modernista setting of the Eixample is recommended for all the family. Those who don’t wish to shop can visit a Gaudí building, like La Pedrera or Casa Batlló, or just wander around the area to admire the wealth of decorative details, from stained glass to ceramics, by his contemporaries.

8.30pm

Drinks and tapas

Relax at one of the many terrace bars in elegant Rambla Catalunya, or try the eponymous cocktail at Dry Martini (Aribau 162), before going for tapas – the perfect dinner, especially when created by top chef Carles Abellan at Tapas 24 (for more information, click here).

10.30pm

On the town

Round off the day in style, just up the road at designer club Ommsession (Rosselló 265), part of award-winning Hotel Omm, where you can rub shoulders with the beau monde. Alternatively, catch a cab to Mirablau, halfway up Tibidabo hill, which overlooks the city, and dance till dawn.

Introduction

Barcelona may be the second city of Spain, locked in eternal rivalry with Madrid, but it ruled an empire long before Spain was even born. Some 2,000 years ago, the Romans, on their way to conquering the whole of Iberia, built a forbidding wall around their settlement on the Mediterranean coast and called it Barcino.

Although a visitor could spend days wandering the Gothic Quarter, an atmospheric tangle of medieval buildings and alleyways where the city’s glorious past is palpable, Barcelona is anything but a musty old history lesson. It is a dynamic, creative, and daringly modern metropolis.

Once just a grey industrial port, Barcelona has reinvented itself. Rundown neighbourhoods were revived, numerous urban spaces filled with sculpture and greenery was created. The airport, railway, and metro have been brought up to date, and new hotels, museums, and concert halls have sprung up. The most important physical change, though, has been Barcelona’s reorientation towards the sea. With a dynamic port that is now one of the busiest cruise ship stops in Europe, the Port Olímpic, a further leisure port at Diagonal Mar, its clean beaches and renowned seafront neighbourhoods, the Catalan capital has succeeded in marrying the pleasures of the Mediterranean with the sophisticated, creative energy of modern Europe. The focus is now on the two main arteries running east-west to the sea, Avinguda Diagonal and Avinguda Paral.lel. The aim is to create a connection between these two roads and the flourishing port with its cruise-ship terminal, and the Forum’s trade fair, exhibition and conference venues.

Catalan Culture

Barcelona’s physical transformation has accompanied a rebirth of Catalan culture, long marginalised – often overtly repressed – by Spanish rulers. The most ruthless aggression came during the Franco dictatorship, which lasted from the Spanish Civil War of 1936–39 until the dictator’s death in 1975. Under the 1979 Statute of Autonomy, Catalonia regained a substantial measure of self-government. Regardless of the political winds, Catalan arts, literature and language are vigorously promoted by the Catalan government.

Reawakened, too, is the pride the Barceloneses take in their city. The man behind much of it is the city’s most famous son, Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), one of the creators of modernisme – Catalan Art Nouveau. Gaudí’s buildings still startle: his soaring, unfinished cathedral, La Sagrada Família, is his best-known work, but there are scores more in Barcelona. Around the turn of the 20th century, a group of modernistas, including Lluís Domènech i Montaner and Josep Puig i Cadafalch, dreamed up the most fanciful buildings their rich imaginations and equally rich patrons would allow. More recent architectural stars include Oriol Bohigas, Enric Ruiz-Geli, Miralles and Tagliabue and a host of international architects like Jean Nouvel, Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Frank Gehry, Herzog and de Meuron, who have all created new landmarks in the city or have work in progress.

Tree-lined La Rambla

iStock

Sardanes

The city – and the region – takes its culture seriously. Rituals like the sardana, a traditional dance performed on Saturday evening and Sunday morning in front of